Last Farewell (BigBang song)

"Last Farewell" (Korean: 마지막 인사; RR: Majimak Insa) is a song by South Korean boy band BigBang. It was released through YG Entertainment on November 22, 2007 as the lead single from the quintet's second extended play Hot Issue. The song was written by G-Dragon and composed by the member and Brave Brothers. Mirroring the success of the group's preceding single "Lies," the song went on to become a chart topper.

"Last Farewell"
Single by BigBang
from the album Hot Issue
ReleasedNovember 22, 2007
Genre
Length3:52
LabelYG Entertainment
Songwriter(s)G-Dragon, Brave Brothers
Producer(s)G-Dragon, Brave Brothers
BigBang singles chronology
"Always"
(2007)		 "Last Farewell"
(2007)		 "How Gee"
(2008)

Background and composition

With the release of their first extended play, Always in 2007, BigBang began to experiment more with their sound, moving away from their original hip hop roots, and experimenting with electronic music and dance music. Their second EP, Hot Issue, released that same year, built on that its predecessor's momentum.[1] "Last Farewell," the lead single, was described by Billboard as one of the most blatant pop songs in the group's repertoire, with a "trance-tinged hip pop" sound.[1] KpopStarz noted that the single included "some of the clubbiest sounds seen from Big Bang up until this point".[2] An English version of the song named "Baby Baby" was included in the quintet's first and second Japanese albums Number 1 and Big Bang, as well in their greatest hits album The Best of Big Bang 2006-2014.

Controversies

The involvement of G-Dragon in writing and composing the melody – as it was unusual at the time for members of a band to be so involved in the production of their album[3] – raised questions by netizens over how much the rapper actually produced.[4] Yang Hyun-suk, founder and CEO of YG Entertainment, went on to clarify that G-Dragon wrote and compose the music, with arrangements done by long-time collaborator Brave Brothers.[5][6][7]

The success of BigBang spawned the creation of OkBang, a Chinese group whose music and looks were similar to the former.[8]

Reception and recognition

Reception for "Last Farewell" was positive, with Tamar Herman of Billboard ranking it at number nine in the magazine's list of ten best BigBang songs, writing that the single "hits all the right notes to be quintessential K-pop song: catchy chorus, swoon-worthy crooning, and a pump-up dance beat."[1] Park Hyo-jae from The Chosun Ilbo praised its "addictive chorus" and "sophisticated electronic sound", commenting that the song being written by a member of the group set BigBang apart from the other idols. Park also complimented the group's stage fashion, noting that their use of high top sneakers and skinny jeans, as well as their hair styles, had become a trend among teenagers.[9] The single's choreography, especially the jump rope movement, became a national phenomenon in South Korea.[10] "Last Farewell" is recognized as one of the group's definitive songs, for setting the direction they would eventually go in on songs like "Fantastic Baby" and "Bang Bang Bang".[1][2]

Commercial performance

"Last Farewell" was released prior to the creation of the Gaon Music Chart, which began tracking music performance in 2010. The song topped various charts from online music services upon its release, including the Melon chart for eight consecutive weeks, holding the record for longest-running number-one song by a boy group.[11] At another music service Mnet.com, the single remained at the first spot for six weeks, a record for the time.[12] "Last Farewell" went to be awarded Song of the Month (December) in the 2008 Cyworld Digital Music Awards, recording 170,000 copies sold that month.[12][13] The single was the fourth best-performing song of the 2000s (decade) in Melon, the highest entry by a male group.[14]

Track listing
  • Digital download / streaming
  1. "마지막 인사 (Last Farewell)" – 3:52

Music program wins
Program Date
Music Bank (KBS) December 14, 2007
December 21, 2007
January 11, 2008
February 1, 2008
Inkigayo (SBS) December 16, 2007
December 23, 2007
January 13, 2008
M! Countdown (Mnet) January 17, 2008

Sales
Country Sales
South Korea (digital)[15] 5,128,203

References
  1. "The 10 Best BIGBANG Songs: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. "K-Pop Mixtape: 9 Most Definitive Big Bang Songs". KpopStarz. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  3. "양현석, 빅뱅 권지용 작곡 논란 해명" (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  4. Kim, Young-ro (April 30, 2009). "'빅뱅' 지드래곤(G-Dragon), 작곡 실력 과장된 홍보?". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  5. Jeong, Minyoung (May 13, 2009). "[마음은 언제나 록스타]아이돌 스타와 '공동 작곡자'" (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  6. "This Artist Copied Big Bang? | allkpop.com". allkpop. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  7. "Brave Brothers' Album to Feature Big Bang and Son Dambi | allkpop.com". allkpop. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  8. "Copycat of Big Bang Surfaces in China". The Korea Times. December 20, 2009. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  9. Park, Hyo-jae (February 22, 2009). "[빅3 아이돌 기획사 집중 분석] 아이돌도 스스로 음악을 만들어야 한다. - 조엔 CHOEN". choen.chosun.com. The Chosun Ilbo. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  10. "빅뱅, '줄넘기춤'으로 국민댄스 도전". Star News. December 8, 2007. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  11. Park, Jung Sun (May 7, 2014). "[M+기획…'보이그룹 통계'②] 최장·최다 음원 1위 빅뱅, 견줄 그룹 없다". MBN Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  12. "빅뱅, 싸이월드 '이달의노래' 3관왕". Star News. January 8, 2008. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  13. "Song of the Month". Cyworld. 2007. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  14. "The 2000s". Melon Music Chart. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  15. "Side B: Before the Bang was Big – seoulbeats". archive.is. December 10, 2017. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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